Transfer and method of making and using same



April 23, 1968 A. WEBER ET TRANSFER AND METHOD OF MAKING AND usme SAME Filed June 18, 1964 Awem- "Essa 0555p L. Gees/@5476 INVENTORS United States Patent f 3,379,604 TRANSFER AND METHOD OF MAKING AND USING SAME Albert Weber, Los Angeles, Calif. (4747 St. Clair, North Hollywood, Calif. 91607), and Joseph L. Greenberg, 4296 Don Luis Drive, Los Angeles, Calif. 90008 Filed June 18, 1964, Ser. No. 376,028 Claims. (Cl. 16138) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A pattern of flocking is sandwiched between a release sheet and a carrier sheet. The sandwich also includes a thermoplastic filrn which secures the edges of the flocked pattern to the carrier sheet when the release sheet is removed. The product is employed by laying the carrier sheet against a surface, such as a garment, and applying heat to cause the flock to be freed from the carrier sheet and to be bonded by adhesive to the garment.

This invention relates in general to the decalcomania art and relates more specifically to a means and process for constructing designs of flocking material having heat activated adhering backing for the application of the design to surfaces to be decorated.

The decalcomania art is old and well known. This is usually thought of in terms of ink or painted patterns which are carried by water soluble glue surfaces in order that the glue may be softened and the transfer placed upon a permanent carrying surface.

Also, it is well known to provide letters and patterns of decorative material having adhesive backing which then is adhered to the surface to be decorated.

It is the purpose of the present invention to provide a means for producing patterns of all types, including everything from half-tones through to solid block outlines, and providing these patterns in a flocking material for surface decoration.

Flocking material is a finely powdered substance, very often w-ool or cloth, which is often used by adhering the flocking material to a glue surface. The glue is placed in position and then the flocking added. Clothing may be decorated in this manner. However, the creation of the pattern of the adhesive material is an art in itself, and therefore not generally accessible to the layman for decorating purposes. It is not done professionally unless there is suificient volume involved to make a professional effort worthwhile, and therefore one, or a small number of decorated articles is clostly.

It is an object of this invention to provide a means for enabling professional production of flocked patterns for later transfer by unskilled labor to surfaces which are to be decorated.

, It is a further object of this invention to provide flocked patterns in transfer form capable of being applied by unskilled labor in small quantities without professional skill and equipment.

For a full understanding of the invention, a detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the Transfer and the Method of Making and Using Same will now be given in conjunction with the accompanying drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a sheet of release p p FIGURE 2 illustrates a film coating over the release surface of the paper;

FIGURE 3 illustrates three phases of this invention:

(1) the application of a thermally activatable adhesive layer in the form of a stylized tree;

(2) the application of a flock spray to the adhesive to form a flocked pattern; and

3,379,604 Patented Apr. 23, 1968 (3) the removal of excess flocking material by an air machine;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view illustrating the application of an open mesh material to the film and extending over the pattern of flocked material;

FIGURE 5 is an illustration of the separation of the film and open mesh material, with the flocked pattern therebetween, from the release paper backing, the article being inverted from the position shown in FIGURE 4; and

FIGURE 6 illustrates the application steps of applying heat and pressure to activate the adhesive carrying the flocked material, and stripping of the excess film by withdrawing the combination of open mesh material and film from the adhered pattern.

One specific preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the single sheet of the drawing, and from this illustration it will be possible for anyone skilled in this particular art to make and use the invention with reasonable variance of materials and processes. Therefore, specific materials are not named, because a wide variety of material will be suitable. The characteristics of the material are essential, .and these characteristics will be given.

Release paper 10 is employed as the basis upon which the process begins. Release paper is well known for a variety of purposes. It is generally a strong paper having a surface coating which does not lend itself readily to adhering material. This is the reason for the name of the material.

On this release paper is placed a film of thermoplastic mate-rial 12. It is contemplated that the reasonable manner of producing such coating will be either to spray or apply in standard equipment employed for the purpose of spreading a coating of material upon a carrying surface. This equipment is old and well known. The particular material for the film 12 may be selected from a wide range of materials, but must have the characteristic of being thermoplastic in that it may be heated and caused thereby to soften and adhere to a cloth or other absorbent carrying material pressed against the softened surface. There are many commercially available materials which will fulfill this function according to the end purpose to which the particular combination will be directed. Thus, a resinous material such as a vinyl material may be quite acceptable for the intended purpose.

On the surf-ace of the film coated release paper is placed a pattern of adhesive material. The adhesive material will be applied in wet form by means of printing presses, hand painting, silk screen, or any other conceivable process for applying a tacky material to another surface. The purpose of this material is to remain tacky for a sufii-cient length of time to receive and hold a coating of flocking mate-rial and then to later serve as a thermally activated adhesive to bind the flocking material to a carrying surface such as a T-shirt or other surface to be decorated.

The pattern in the drawing is a stylized tree, and the coating of the particular adhesive material is indicated by reference character 14. To this coating 14, while it is yet tacky, is applied a coating of flock 16. Generally flocking is applied by a blower device 17 and the excess is removed from the areas surrounding the pattern by means of an :air machine 18. Blowing or vacuuming may be employed either exclusively or alternately, according to the whims and decisions of those who are skilled in this type of art, and according to the particular pattern being created.

After the pattern has been completed with flock and the excess cleaned away, an overall covering of an open mesh material is placed over the entire film and the pattern produced on the surf-ace of the film. This is illustrated schematically in FIGURE 4, wherein a coating of organdy 20 is being applied to the surface by means of heat and pressure. The heat is sutficient to clause the thermoplastic film 12 to soften and flow into the open mesh of the o-rgandy sheet 20. The pressure is merely suflicient to place the softened material and organdy into physical contact in order that the interlock bonding may take place. The material 20 thus becomes a carrier sheet on which the discrete flocked pa erns are kept in predetermined spatial relation. Such heat and pressure will have no effect on the surface of the flocking 16, and therefore the o'rgandy merely covers over the pattern which has been produced in flock.

Thereafter, usually at the time the pattern is to be applied ot the surface to be decorated, the release paper 10 is separated from the thermoplastic film 12 to thus leave a sandwich of the thermoplastic film and organdy material with the flocking and adhesive material therebetween, and with the organdy and thermoplastic film united all around the pattern. In the drawings all dimensions have been greatly exaggerated in order to make possible a physical illustration on paper. In actual practice the dimensions are quite thin and the organdy and thermoplastic film are flexible. Therefore the thermoplastic coating film 12 and the organdy 20 will be united all around the flocked pattern.

Finally, therefore, the surface to be decorated, which may be cloth 22, or any other surface including solid materials, is selected and the pattern placed in position where it is to be permanently mounted. Then, heated and pressure are applied to the surface of the organdy in the vicinity of the pattern until the adhesive material is activated to adhere to the new supporting surface.

It is apparent, therefore, that the adhesive material 14 must be compatible and of "a characteristic which will enable it to function with the material of the plastic film 12 admixed therein, because the plastic film 12 is positioned between the surface to be decorated and the adhesive material 14 when this heat and pressure application takes place. No particular material is specified because the range of material is wide and obtainable from several sources by specification. The characteristic must be that the material is thermally activable. Thus, it may be thermoplastic or thermosetting. It may be thermosetting and not be effected by the application of the organdy 20, as shown in FIGURE 4, if proper heat and pressure are applied suflicient to bind the thermoplastic coating 12, but of suificiently fast and direct heat to accomplish only this step without reaching the adhesive 14. Otherwise, if a thermoplastic material is employed it may be reheated as often as necessary to accomplish the various steps. As an example of a thermosetting adhesive I could use a cellulose acetate vinyl resin to which I may preferably add a small amount of rubber cement and a small amount of parafiix wax, or a polyvinyl c'hloride-acetate resin having eighty-five percent of the chloride and fifteen percent of the acetate together with a plasticizer, such as vioctyl phthalate or other suitable plasticizer, and a Versamid gum resin, such as General Mills Versamid 930, to secure sharp demarcation in printing, in the amounts of seventy percent of the first named resin, twenty percent of the plasticizer, and ten percent of the gum resin, the gum resin being mixed with a small amount of alcohol.

Thus, regardless of the specific materials, the inventive concept of creating a figure having an adhesive backing, together with a means for stripping the excess of the carrying structure 20 away from the figure when applied to the ultimate surface to be decorated, may be carried out in the steps as described.

The prior art has provided art objects and letters which are carried by a release paper surface with an adhesive backing. These letters and objects must then be removed one by one and placed in position upon the surface which is to be decorated. This invention contemplates the release of an entire grouping or interrelated pattern and associated decorative elements as a unit. This is accomplished by the use of a film which is positioned between the release paper and the adhesive material of the design or letter. This film is then united with the film under other patterns or letters, whether or not the film is actually one large sheet, by means of organdy or other open mesh material which lies over the top of the grouping and attaches itself to the film which is under the adhesive material. Thus, the open mesh material will enable the removal of the letters and patterned objects from the release surface and replacement of the paper with the actual surface to be decorated. This is rather like an inversion process where the entire grouping is lifted away from the place where it is created and then placed back onto the surface to be decorated or the original relationship which was created by the factory will be maintained through to the actual application of the associated decorative material onto the carrying shirt or other object to be decorated.

While the instant invention has been shown and described herein what is conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is recognized that depart-ures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention which is therefore not to be limited to the details disclosed herein but is to be afforded the full scope of the invention "as hereinafter claimed.

We claim:

1. The method of producing a transfer pattern upon a supporting surface, comprising the steps of:

providing a sheet of release paper having a smooth surface;

applying a releasable thermoplastic plastic film to the surface of said release paper;

thereafter forming a coating image upon the surface of the plastic film of an adhesive material capable of being activated by heat;

applying flocking to said adhesive over the external surface, with the image of adhesive material between the said film and said flocking;

thereafter placing a sheet of open mesh material over the flocking and in contact with the film surrounding the flocked pattern; thereafter causing said film around said pattern and the open mesh material to unite in an adhering bond;

thereafter stripping the united open mesh material and film from the release paper to produce a transfer element composed of said thermoplastic film and open mesh material with the flocking and adhesive material sandwiched therebetween; thereafter placing said sandwich of material upon a surface to be decorated, with the film against the surface and the decorative pattern placed in position where it is desired to decorate the surface;

thereafter applying heat and pressure to the pattern until the plastic film and adhesive material under the pattern have united with the surface to be decorated; and

finally stripping the open mesh material and the remaining bound film surrounding the pattern from the surface to be decorated, leaving the exposed flocked design adhered to the transfer surface.

2. The process of producing a transfer pattern upon a carrier sheet comprising the steps of:

providing a release sheet having a smooth surface;

coating at least a portion of said release sheet with a thin flexible thermoplastic resinous film;

applying a coating of a compatible thermally activable adhesive to a portion of said thermoplastic film in the form of a discrete pattern;

applying flocking to said adhesive pattern;

applying an absorbent flexible carrier sheet over said uniting said carrier sheet to said film; and

removing said release sheet to leave a flocked pattern on said carrier sheet, ready to be beat transferred from said carrier sheet to a final supporting surface.

3. The process of claim 2 including the additional steps of:

placing said carrier sheet with flocking against a supporting surface, with said flocking sandwiched between said carrier sheet and said surface;

applying heat to said carrier sheet thereby to cause said flocking to be freed from said carrier sheet and to adhere to said surface; and

removing said carrier sheet;

leaving said flocking adhered to and exposed on said surface.

4. A flocked transfer, comprising:

a thin flexible thermoplastic resinous sheet;

a compatible thermally activable adhesive positioned upon said thermoplastic resinous sheet in the form of a pattern, said adhesive being capable of adhering to a transfer base such as a textile upon heating in the presence of said thermoplastic resinous sheet; flocking attached to said adhesive; and an absorbent flexible carrier sheet covering said flocking and adhered to said thermoplastic sheet around said pattern. 5. A flocked transfer according to claim 4 in which said absorbent flexible carrier sheet is an open mesh material.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,096,389 10/1937 Bode. 3,080,270 3/1963 Lorenz 156--233 15 3,297,508 1/1967 Jahp l56249 JACOB H. STEINBERG, Primary Examiner. 

